Set aside news about new chatbots or market competition and enterprise impacts in AI innovation UK. Despite progress toward gender equity across many regions, the enduring story remains the significant gender gap in AI talent worldwide.

Research demonstrates that the proportion of women in AI UK roles remains substantially lower than men while this gap widens further in top management and technical positions.

This week we explore top Women in Artificial Intelligence who are breaking new ground in the UK and EMEA sectors. We honour their accomplishments and professional journeys as well as their AI leadership UK to promote diversity and inclusion.

1. Tabitha Goldstaub

Tabitha Goldstaub who founded CogX and chaired the UK Government's AI Council stands as an influential proponent for AI development and ethics that shapes the UK's position at the forefront of AI innovation.

She serves as a consultant to businesses, governmental bodies, academic institutions and philanthropic organisations on AI impact and holds positions on multiple executive boards including Luminate which supports underrepresented communities.

Tabitha wrote the guide 'How To Talk To Robots - A Girl's Guide to a World Dominated by AI.'

2. Anne Bouverot

Anne Bouverot stands out as a leading French executive who has gained significant experience within the technology sector with a focus on artificial intelligence. Her professional experience combines executive leadership roles in major corporations with comprehensive knowledge of the societal effects of artificial intelligence.

French President Emmanuel Macron named her as his special envoy on AI to guide the organisation of the Paris AI Action Summit which occurred in February 2025.

3. Asma Houissa Ben Amor

Orange’s Asma Houissa holds over 15 years of experience which establishes her as a prominent leader within AI technology and business intelligence domains. She demonstrates exceptional ability in facilitating customer adoption of advanced systems and technologies while directing them throughout their digital transformation processes.

Asma serves as the AI/Gen AI Product Owner at Orange where she manages Djingo chatbot development and fosters commercial activities centered on AI and Gen AI innovations. She gained experience at CGI before joining Altran and VEDECOM.

4. Poppy Gustafsson

The company went through substantial expansion and increased global presence under her leadership which resulted in multiple industry awards.

Poppy earned the CEO of the Year award in November 2021 for advancing Darktrace to the forefront of AI innovation and implementing technology solutions to address global challenges.

Poppy resigned from her position before the company was acquired in 2024 but maintains strong influence within the AI and cybersecurity industries.

5. Anne Laure Thibaud (Thieullent)

Anne Laure's 21-plus years working with Big Data Analytics and AI at scale has shown her how businesses operate based on data and intelligence.

At Capgemini she manages worldwide portfolio development in Data Analytics and AI which assists clients in progressing their digital transformation through intelligent solutions. The company uses data and AI to create trusted business impact while building an inclusive positive sustainable future.

6. Danielle Belgrave

The field of AI applied to healthcare recognises Danielle Belgrave as a distinguished women transforming AI expert. Danielle Belgrave serves as VP of AI/ML at GSK where she directs the development of advanced AI methodologies for drug development and clinical use.

Her professional journey encompasses work experience in both academic institutions and industry settings where she served at DeepMind and Imperial College London before joining Microsoft Research Cambridge. Danielle's research develops machine learning solutions to deliver personalised healthcare interventions while concentrating on disease heterogeneity analysis.

7. Dr. Alessandra Sala

Alessandra specialises in transforming advanced analytics and computational modelling with machine learning into practical product developments.

As the Global President of Female AI Leaders 2025, she promotes gender diversity and ethical AI practices throughout her work with this non-profit organisation beyond her corporate responsibilities.

She builds a robust network of women AI pioneers UK who focuses on achieving equality and ethical AI development practices.

8.Debbie Weinstein

Debbie Weinstein dedicated her professional life to shaping the future through her work at the crossroads of worldwide technology and commerce. Google appointed her as President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa in December 2024 following a decade of various leadership roles at the company.

Google announced Debbie would concentrate on expanding AI capabilities for users, businesses and governments while unlocking AI's huge potential throughout the EMEA region upon her appointment.

9. Zahra Bahrololoumi

The Information Technology sector honored Zahra Bahrololoumi with a CBE in 2023 due to her widespread recognition as an industry leader during her career. In her role as EVP & CEO of Salesforce UK & Ireland Zahra guides customers through digital change in AI-driven environments to strengthen their operations and increase their business reach.

Zara began her position at Salesforce in 2020 having moved from Accenture where she directed the technology practice focused on AI systems and cloud platforms across the UK and Ireland markets.

10. Katja Hofmann

At Microsoft Research in Cambridge, UK Katja Hofmann serves as Senior Principal Research Manager and leads the Game Intelligence team. Her research pushes forward reinforcement learning techniques while concentrating on video game applications.

Her research centres on developing artificial intelligence systems that can work alongside humans to empower users while solving complex real-world problems. Project Malmo represents her significant work through its use of Minecraft as an AI testing ground.

Conclusion

These women in tech UK are making groundbreaking progress in a field traditionally dominated by men by applying their expertise to develop AI solutions across technology, cybersecurity, healthcare and business intelligence sectors. These female tech leaders demonstrate their essential role toward building an inclusive and equitable system that benefits society despite existing representation gaps.